The Skinny: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2-OT). Isles lead series 3 games to 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 5

Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2-OT)

Isles lead best-of-7 series, 3-2

May 24th has always been a special day in Islander history. The 41st  anniversary of the first Stanley Cup is the most special anniversary of them all as Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into the 2nd overtime and Ilya Sorokin made 48 saves for his third win of the series as the Islanders took a 3-2 lead in their First Round series with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins before a socially-distant crowd of 9,344 at PPG Paints Arena. 

The Isles never led in the game but got tying goals from Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle to force the marathon.

The Isles will look to clinch a series on Coliseum ice for the first time since 1993 (vs. Washington) in Game 6 on Wednesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Evgeni Malkin (1) Kris Letang (1), Bryan Rust (1) 08:20 NYI 0,PIT 1 PPG

Anthony Beauvillier (2) Josh Bailey (1), Nick Leddy (2) 19:05 NYI 1,PIT 1

2nd Period

Bryan Rust (2) Sidney Crosby (1), Kris Letang (3) 07:37 NYI 1,PIT 2

3rd Period

Jordan Eberle (2) Leo Komarov (1), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) 08:50 NYI 2,PIT 2

OT

No Goals

2nd OT

Josh Bailey (3) 00:51 NYI 3,PIT 2

The Series (Isles lead series, 3-2)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 5: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2OT)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (TBD)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 3-1 in game 5's under Barry Trotz… The Isles were credited with 47 hits, giving them 242 hits in the series … The Isles did not lead during play for the third time in the series; they have led for 35:36 in the five games combined. …The Isles have scored sixteen goals in this series on Tristan Jarry, who is 8-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA against the Isles in regular season play…Ilya Sorokin faced 50 shots; it is only the 20th time that a rookie goalie has faced at least that many in a playoff game…Sorokin is the first goalie in Islander history (rookie or veteran) to win his first three NHL playoff games; he stopped all 31 shots over the final 53:14 of the game…Sorokin joins Robin Lehner (4) as the only goalies to start their Islander playoff career with at least three straight wins…Sorokin is the 9th goalie since expansion to make at least 116 save in his first three playoff games – only three others (JS Giguere, Scott Darling and Bernie Parent) have done so with a GAA lower than Sorokin's 1.65..Josh Bailey is the 9th Islander to record multiple overtime goals; he now has three career OT points… The Isles had ten shots on goal in the first period with none blocked or missing the net; it was the first time that has happened (regular season or playoff) in the twelve seasons the NHL has maintained that record…Sidney Crosby recorded his 191st  point on the Penguins' 2nd goal, passing Brett Hull for 7th place on the all-time list; it was also his 122nd assist, giving him sole possession of 10th place on that list (passing Al MacInnis and Glenn Anderson)…The Penguins have lost five straight OT games, including three to the Islanders (Bailey-2, Palmieri) and a 4th to Barry Trotz as Capital coach (Evgeni Kuznetsov)…Scott Mayfield went +3; he leads the Isles with a +6 rating in the series and has been "even" or better in all five games…

The Injury

Oliver Wahlstrom left the game in the second period following a collision with Pittsburgh's Mike Matheson. He did not return.

First Time in a Long Time

• Ilya Sorokin is the first Islander goalie to face 50 shots and make 48 saves in a playoff game since Kelly Hrudey stopped 73 of 75 in the Easter Epic (4/18/1987 vs. Washington).

• The Isles allowed 20 shots in a playoff period for the first time since allowing a club record 22 on 4/15/1977 vs. Buffalo.  It was the first time in their 299-game playoff history that the Isles have allowed at least 20 shots in the second period.

Fastest Goals to Start 2nd Overtime (Islander history)

• 20:51  5/24/2021 @ Pittsburgh (Josh Bailey)

• 20:59  4/9/1990 vs. Rangers (Brent Sutter)

Most Overtime Wins in a Series

• 3 vs. Washington (1993)

• 3 vs. Florida (2016)

• 2 vs. Toronto (1978)

• 2 vs. Rangers (1979)

• 2 vs. Boston (1980)

• 2 vs. Philadelphia (1980)

• 2 vs. New Jersey (1988)

• 2 vs. Pittsburgh (2021)

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 38-21 (.644) all-time in overtime, including 19-9 (.678) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 2-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 9-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015. 

The Isles are 9-4 in multiple-overtime games; all but the Easter Epic ended in the second overtime. Pittsburgh is 4-7 in multiple-overtime games.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 5-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

• 05/24/21 @ Josh Bailey W Pit 20:51

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 13

• Anthony Beauvillier 12

• Jordan Eberle 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Islander history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

Barry and Al

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello has won 29 playoff series as a General Manager, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Game 3: Led  0:00, Tied:   7:44, Trailed: 52:16

Game 4: Led  31:53, Tied: 28:07, Trailed: 0:00

Game 5: Led  0:00, Tied:   48:53, Trailed: 31:58

Series:    Led: 35:36, Tied: 141:07, Trailed: 160:38

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 164-135 in 299 all-time playoff games.  They are 91-51 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 73-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 1-1 at home and 2-1 on the road.  The Isles will play their 300th playoff game on Wednesday (Game 6).

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 148 playoff games (75-73).  His 148 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 75 wins are 15th all-time (1 behind Laviolette).  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 119

• Barry Trotz 20

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 198

• Barry Trotz 35

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Barry Trotz 5 (5-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most game 7 wins/game seven record)

• Al Arbour 4 (2-2)

• Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Jack Capuano 1 (0-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 4

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 2-0 when scoring first and are 1-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles         10-4-6-7-1=28    

Pittsburgh 12-20-9-8-1=50

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Game 4: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 30

• Game 5: Isles 28, Pittsburgh 50

• Series:  Isles 163, Pittsburgh 194

The Isles are 0-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 48 saves to improve to 2-0 in the 2021 playoffs and in his playoff career. He is 2-0 in overtime.

 

Tristan Jarry made 25 saves but falls to 2-32 in this year's playoffs and 2-4 in his career. He is 0-2 in overtime.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 1-2 on the power play in 2:33 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 1-4 (6:19, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:37, 3 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 2-5 (7:13, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 0-1 (0:30, 0 shots)

• Game 5: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:33, 5 shots)

• Series: Isles 3-14 (19:00, 12 shots), Pittsburgh 2-10 (15:40, 17 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-1 in the playoffs (1-1 in regulation and 2-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 2-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 in regulation and 2-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (32:04);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (37:14)

J-G Pageau led Isles forwards with 24:38 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 29, Pittsburgh 32 (48%)  

Casey Cizikas won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Jeff Carter won 14 of 19 for Pittsburgh. 

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)

• Game 4: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 17 (66%)

• Game 5: Isles 29, Pittsburgh 32 (48%)

• Series: Isles 149, Pittsburgh 139 (52%)

Hit Count

Isles 47 (J-G Pageau -9)

Pittsburgh 46 (Kris Letang -10)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Game 4: Isles 31, Pittsburgh 34

• Game 5: Isles 47, Pittsburgh 46

• Series: Isles 244, Pittsburgh 193

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Andy Greene and Leo Komarov -3)

Pittsburgh 9 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 43, Pittsburgh 85  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 41, Pittsburgh 78

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Oliver Wahlstrom +3

Pittsburgh: Bryan Rust +18

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 5, Pittsburgh 16

5-on-5: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 14

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 2 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

• Game 4 (All) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 34, Pittsburgh 55

• Game 5 (All) Isles 43, Pittsburgh 85;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Pittsburgh 78 

• Series: (All)  Isles 255, Pittsburgh 332;  (5-on-5) Isles 216, Pittsburgh 296

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 2 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 3 (All) Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11; (5-on-5) Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 4 (All) Isles 16, Pittsburgh 7;  (5-on-5) Isles 11, Pittsburgh 7 

• Game 5 (All) Isles 5, Pittsburgh 16;  (5-on-5) Isles 4, Pittsburgh 14

• Series: (All)  Isles 60, Pittsburgh 63; (5-on-5) Isles 47, Pittsburgh 47

Scratches

(Anders Lee), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 6

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

• Josh Bailey (20:51 of OT on 5/24 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 5)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 59

Josh Bailey 57

Casey Cizikas 55

Nick Leddy 53

Brock Nelson 53

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 59

Nick Leddy 53

Brock Nelson 48

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 13

Anthony Beauvillier 12

Jordan Eberle 11

JG Pageau 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 28

Mathew Barzal 20

Jordan Eberle 15

Brock Nelson 15

Nick Leddy 14

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 41

Brock Nelson 32

Mathew Barzal 27

Jordan Eberle 26

Anthony Beauvillier 19

Nick Leddy 19

J-G Pageau 16

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 64

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Oliver Wahlstrom 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 3

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Ryan Pulock 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 2

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 3-0 1.65 GAA, .951 save percentage

UP NEXT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26th  –PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS (TBD)

[MSG+ (30 minute pre-game), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050]

The Isles look to close out the series and advance to the Second Round for the third straight season when they host the Penguins in Game 6 of the series on Wednesday night.  It will be the first time in club history that the Isles play later into the spring than May 24th and it will be the 300th playoff game in franchise history.

The Isles are 11-1 all-time in series that they lead 3-2 (and are 10-2 in those series in Game 6's), while Pittsburgh is 7-8 when trailing a series 3 games to 2.

The Isles are 7-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 3-1 at Nassau Coliseum.  Trotz will be coaching his 149th playoff game, breaking a tie with Peter Laviolette for 12th place.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick